Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Special Exposure Cohort Updates

LaVon B. Rutherford, CHP

Special Exposure Cohort Health Physics Team Leader

Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health

Albuquerque, NM 

December 13, 2017
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Purpose

 Update the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker 

Health (Advisory Board)

 Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) summary of petitions

‒ in qualification

‒ under evaluation

‒ currently under Board review

‒ potential SEC petitions (83.14)
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Summary

 Petitions received - 245

• Petitions in qualification process - 3

• Petitions qualified for evaluation - 146

• NIOSH evaluation in progress - 2

• NIOSH evaluation completed - 144

 Reports with the Advisory Board - 9

 Petitions not qualifying for evaluation - 91

(NOTE: 245 includes 5 petitions received prior to the federal regulation)
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Wah Chang 1973-2017 (Residual Period) 

 Albany, Oregon 

 Petition SEC-00239

 All employees 

 January 1, 1973 - May 31, 2017

 NIOSH is currently responding to the petitioners response 

to the proposed finding. Qualification determination 

should be completed later in December 2017
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Y-12 Plant 1981-2017 

 Oak Ridge, TN 

 Petition SEC-00241

 All employees 

 November 16, 1981 - present

 NIOSH is currently responding to the petitioners response 

to the proposed finding. Qualification determination 

should be completed later in December 2017
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Pinellas Plant 1956-1997

 Clearwater, FL

 Petition SEC-00242

 All employees

 September 1, 1956 – September 30, 1997

 NIOSH is currently responding to the petitioners 

response to the proposed finding. Qualification 

determination should be completed later in 

December 2017
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Sandia National Laboratory 1995-2005

 Albuquerque, NM

 Petition SEC-00188

 Addendum to address remaining years 

 All employees

 Expected completion: Update will be provided at this 

meeting. The report is expected to be complete March 2018
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

 Livermore, CA

 Petition SEC-0221

 Addendum to address remaining years 

 All employees

 Expected completion: June 2018

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 

1990-2014
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Under Advisory Board Review - cont.

 Hanford (SEC-00056) – the petition period ends in 1990 

 NIOSH reviewing documentation to determine whether prime 

contractors radiological control program were meeting bioassay 

commitments

 NIOSH recently sent a revised issues matrix with the remaining issues 

that will be discussed at a future work group meeting
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Under Advisory Board Review - cont.

 Savannah River Site (SEC-00103) – An update from NIOSH, 

SC&A and the work group are scheduled for this meeting

 Los Alamos National Lab (SEC-0192) – NIOSH is reviewing the 

requested documents associated with NTS report 484 and 

responding to SC&A’s review

 Idaho National Lab (SEC-00219) – Advisory Board reviewing 

proposed class and initial evaluation report (ER) 
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Under Advisory Board Review - cont.

 Argonne National Laboratory - West (SEC-00224) – Advisory 

Board and SC&A reviewing ER

 Area IV Santa Susanna (SEC-0235) – An update from the work 

group is scheduled for this meeting

 Metals and Controls (SEC-00236) – Advisory Board and SC&A 

reviewing ER
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Sites with remaining evaluation periods awaiting action

Hanford, SEC-0057 1984-1990

(Primes 

only)

Savannah River Site,

SEC-0103

1973-2007

Los Alamos National Laboratory, 

SEC-0109

1996-2005 Sandia National

Laboratories –

Albuquerque, SEC-0188

1995-2011

Idaho National Laboratory,

SEC-00219

1949-1970 Lawrence Livermore 

National Laboratory, SEC0221

1990-2014

Argonne National Laboratory –

West, SEC-0224

1958-1979 Area IV Santa Susanna, SEC02351991-1993

Metals and Controls, SEC- 0236 1968-1997

(Residual) 
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Potential Petitions (83.14)

 Sandia National Laboratories – Albuquerque (1945-1948)